Ireland Bars Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich From Entering, Micheal Martin Confirms

Ireland barred Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from visiting the country, with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin confirming the move on Friday.

“Ireland has barred Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, from visiting the country, citing their conduct towards pro-Palestinian activists and support for policies that would displace Palestinians from their homeland”

Al Jazeera

Martin said the two far-right ministers had advocated positions that amounted to “a desire to see the elimination of Palestinians from Palestine,” and he linked the decision to their conduct toward pro-Palestinian activists connected to a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last month.

Al Jazeera

Ireland’s justice ministry said Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan instructed immigration officers to refuse entry to Ben-Gvir and Smotrich should they seek to enter the state.

The BBC reported that Ben-Gvir and Smotrich were being introduced as travel bans by O’Callaghan and that the move marked the first time Israeli ministers had been sanctioned by Western governments.

The BBC also reported that Ben-Gvir’s actions drew criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said they were “not in line with Israel's values”.

At the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Montenegro, Martin said the ministers’ behavior justified sanctions at EU level, telling Irish broadcaster RTE, “In my view, their behaviour justifies sanctions at EU level as well”.

The BBC reported that the US, the UK, France, Italy and Canada expressed outrage, and it said Ben-Gvir and Smotrich were banned from entering the UK with assets to be frozen.

Al-Jazeera Net

The BBC also quoted then Foreign Secretary David Lammy saying Finance Minister Smotrich and National Security Minister Ben-Gvir had “incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights”.

Euronews said the Irish decision came after Ben-Gvir sparked controversy by posting a video showing harsh treatment of activists detained during their participation in the 'Flotilla of Resilience,' which sought to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip by sea last month.

Euronews further reported that following the decision, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar ordered the closure of the Israeli embassy in Dublin, accusing the Irish government of pursuing policies he described as anti-Israel.

The travel ban decision was framed against ongoing fighting in Gaza, with the BBC reporting that Israel carried out another air strike in Gaza despite the US-brokered ceasefire deal that took effect last October.

“Ireland bans hard-line Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir, Smotrich: What to know Ireland joined France and the United Kingdom in banning Israel's far-right and pro-settler ministers”

Al-Monitor

The BBC said the Israeli military stated the strikes killed four senior members of Hamas's General Security Apparatus, and it added that the Gaza war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.

The BBC reported that more than 72,950 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry, and it described Israel’s response as a military campaign in Gaza.

Al Jazeera said Martin referenced the treatment of pro-Palestinian activists who were part of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last month, and it described Ben-Gvir provoking condemnation when he shared video of himself mocking detained activists as they knelt blindfolded with their hands bound.

Euronews reported that Ireland’s action placed Dublin among European countries that had taken similar measures, including Britain barring their entry in June 2025 and France banning Ben-Gvir from entering last month, while Spain and Slovenia joined similar steps.